Show ContentsNicolao Surname History

The surname Nicolao was a patronymic name created from the personal name Nicola, or Nicholas. The Italian name Nicola is itself derived from the Latin Nicolaus, and ultimately the Greek Nikolaos, which is composed of the elements "nikan," which means "to win," and "laos," meaning "people." As a personal name, versions of this name are found throughout Europe due to devotion to several saints who bore the name, especially Saint Nicholas. The most common type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. In Italy the popularity of the patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures.

Early Origins of the Nicolao family

The surname Nicolao was first found in the historically rich region of Venice. The surname Nicolao has its origins in the city of Verona, which lies about halfway between Venice and Milan, in the region of Veneto.

The Nichesola family in 1162 was part of the nobility of Verona, and maintained their status in the noble council until 1406 when the title was taken away. The title was renewed, with apologies from the court, four hundred years later. The Nicola family in Venice in the 12th century was one of the most ancient and most noble families in the city at the time.

In 1184 Marco Nicola was given the title of Bishop of the Castle and contributed to the beauty of the city by having erected the church and monastery of St. Andrea.

Early History of the Nicolao family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nicolao research. Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1364, 1437, 1463, 1563, 1724, 1762, 1785, 1842 and 1887 are included under the topic Early Nicolao History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nicolao Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: DeNicola, Niccola, Niccolai, Niccoli, Niccolini, Niccolo, Niccolucci, Nicola, Nicolai, Nicolao, Nicolato, Nicolella, Nicoletti, Nicoli, Nicolicchia, Nicolich, Nicolini, Nicolli, Nicolo, Nicolodi, Nicolucci, Nicolussi, Nicora, Nicorelli, Nicorini, Nichesola and many more.

Early Notables of the Nicolao family

Prominent among members of the family was Niccolò de' Niccoli (1364-1437) was an Italian Renaissance humanist who was born and died in Florence. Giovanni Nicola, was an Archbishop in the 15th century in Amalfi, who later became the Archbishop of Verdun and the patriarch of Athens. In Pisa in the 16th century Agnolo Niccolini was created Archbishop and then Cardinal of the S. R. Church in 1563. The Nichelli family played an important role in the development of the famous Venetian glassware. They were official citizens of Murano, an island of Venice which, along with its sister island Burano, is famous today...
Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nicolao Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Nicolao migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nicolao Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Francisco Nicolao, aged 22, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1853 1

West Indies Nicolao migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 2
Nicolao Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Juan Nicolao, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1835 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Nicolao (post 1700) +

  • Alex Nicolao Telles (b. 1992), Brazilian professional footballer


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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